PRTC to study Gainesville commuter bus option

A new commuter bus could be coming to Gainesville this fall.

Within the next two weeks, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission will begin studying commuter patterns of Gainesville residents who ride PRTC buses.

PRTC will use a questionnaire on OmniRide's Manassas line, asking riders where they board the bus, how far they have to drive to get to the bus stop, and if they would use a new commuter bus in Gainesville, among other questions, said PRTC Executive Director Alfred H. Harf.

Riders on the Linton Hall Metro Direct bus -- the only PRTC bus to serve Gainesville from the West Falls Church Metro station -- will also be surveyed.

The analysis will take a month, and transit officials could make a decision in the fall to add a Gainesville commuter bus.

A new westbound High Occupancy Vehicle lane that opened in March on Interstate 66 and an eastbound HOV lane that is scheduled to open later this month would make the commuter bus possible.

"Once the 1.5 mile HOV extension opens, PRTC would earn additional federal formula funding it its OmniRide service traverses this stretch of HOV lanes," stated Harf in a letter to PRTC's operations board.

Early estimates indicate PRTC is eligible for at least $100,000 annually in federal funds, two years after a Gainesville bus began service. That money would be coupled with additional money from the state, said Harf.

PRTC estimates a new Gainesville bus would cost the agency $50,000 annually.

If it's deemed necessary, the challenge would be how to fund it on the cheap in the interim, as asking for more subsidy from local governments "is out of the question."

One possible way to do it is to take some of the trips currently made by the Manassas OmniRide bus and move them to Gainesville.

"Management knows from prior data collection efforts that a large portion of Manassas OmniRide riders drive from points west to access this route, and a sizable number of Linton Hall Metro Direct riders continue into D.C. via a Metrorail transfer," stated Harf.

He's betting that Manassas riders would switch to a new Gainesville bus if one were made available. Riders on the Linton Hall Metro Direct could switch too, would pay $2.60 more per one-way trip and would no longer need to transfer to Metro.

Unlike the Manassas OmniRide, a Gainesville bus could skip The Pentagon and serve the Washington Navy Yard, after dropping off riders downtown.

Crowding on OmniRide buses remains a problem across Prince William County. But the circumstances for adding a bus in Gainesville "has the real potential to be implemented without the need for any additional local subsidy," or the need to purchase new buses, said Harf.

Adding a Gainesville commuter route has been part of PRTC's long-range plans. But the plan has been on hold in recent years due to the recession and budget restraints.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-530-3905.